Permanent bonding between dissimilar materials is required in many products and components. Particularly stringent requirements are found in the manufacture of Microsystems technology based components and products. In the cases where the two materials have dissimilar thermal expansion coefficients temperature fluctuations may induce fractures or permanent deformation that either cause the two different materials to break apart or shift in position relative to each other. The temperature changes can reflect cooling from the processing temperature at which the parts were bonded or temperature cycles during the lifetime of the product of which the bonded materials are a part. Different approaches have been taken to solve this problem, such as:                1. The selection of materials to be bonded such that the thermal mismatch is minimized. This approach, however, imposes severe restrictions on the selection of materials and that may not be acceptable from a functional or economic perspective, and, in particular, it excludes the bonding of two different materials with dissimilar thermal expansion coefficients.        2. Performing the bonding at the lowest possible temperature to avoid residual forces locked in during cooling following the bonding process. This approach, however, can often not be utilized due to undesired properties of the low temperature bonding methods and because it still does not address the problems caused during subsequent thermal cycles.        3. Minimizing the bonding area between the two materials. This approach, however, will not function in cases where the overall requirements to the strength of the bond are high or where high positional accuracy of the parts is required.        4. The use of a compliant layer that can absorb the thermal mismatch. This approach, however, will often allow the relative position of the parts being bonded to shift gradually over an extended number of thermal cycles thus jeopardizing product functionality. Many of these compliant materials also have a tendency to decay over time.        5. The incorporation of a multi-layer bonding structure where each layer provides an acceptable step change in the thermal expansion coefficient, sufficient inter-layer elasticity, a diffusion barrier or a layer that allows good bonding between the two neighboring layers, or the bonding structure and the materials being bonded. This approach, however, will often be costly to fabricate as each layer is deposited as a separate process step, and furthermore it can be a challenge to avoid the use of materials incompatible with the usage of the product.        6. The use of a mechanical design that allows relative motion between the parts being joined. This approach, however, will for many applications allow for too large a relative motion between the parts being joined.        